Chapter 1: A Blanket of White I love snow! Playing with snowflakes, jumping into snowbanks up to my knees, making snow angels--and even eating little snowballs! Like everything else in Unicornia, the snow here is magical. It is hot and cold at the same time, and also so many other mind-boggling things! So when I wake up to discover a thick blanket of white outside the window, stretching as far as I can see, every part of me squeals, "Yippeeeeee!" And as I can''t wait a second longer . I grab my earmuffs, scarf, coat, and gloves and fly like a unicorn racer out of the house. And can you guess what I do first? That''s right! I dive into the mountain of snow outside our front door with a giant SMOOOOSH! As I hug the super-soft snow, I can''t stop giggling to myself. Then I realize . this will be my first-ever white Christmas! Yes, Christmas is nearly here! Just three days to go! Oh my giddy glitter! I can already picture myself sitting under the tree as it twinkles with lights, ornaments, and tinsel, and tearing open my presents while I gaze at the snow outside. It''s going to be the best Christmas ever . Since school break has just started, I have endless time to make the most of the sea of snow.

I''m going to spend the whooole day out here! Or at least, I''d like to, but suddenly . "CLAUDIA! Come and have breakfast first, then you can go outside to play!" Mom calls to me from the kitchen window. Sounds like a plan. First breakfast, then back outside to play and play and play some more! For once, I finish my glittery pancakes in two seconds flat--and not just because they''re delicious. Usually, when there''s school afterward, I''m not in a hurry to finish breakfast, but today I can''t wait to jump around in all the snow. As soon as I''ve gulped down my last mouthful of pancake, I race off to find Sara and Pippa. The snow will be even more amazing with my friends! On my way to Pippa''s house, I realize that the snowfall has covered the entire city. You can hardly see the sidewalks under the mountains of white! Wow! Everywhere is so buried in snow that I get a bit lost.

Some people''s front doors are almost completely hidden! Finally, I spot Pippa''s house, which sparkles with beautiful Christmas decorations and rows and rows of unicorn fairy lights. As I head for the front door, I bump into Sara. Looks like we''ve had the same idea! Sometimes I wonder if we really do have psychic best-friend superpowers! We give each other a big hug, doing our best not to trip over the enormous heaps of snow. Pippa opens the door before we even get to it. "I''ve never seen it snow like this in Unicornia!" she exclaims as she steps outside. She has to lift her feet really high because the snow is up to her knees. Sara and I make our way toward her with our own giant strides, but we lift our legs so high that we lose our balance and end up tumbling into the snow. Good thing it''s so soft! "Help!" I shout, dissolving into giggles as I try to get up.

Somehow, I''ve landed on my back with my arms and legs flailing in the air. Sara''s just the same. "You look like a pair of snowy stag beetles!" Pippa tells us. Sara and I look at each other and grin--we both know what to do next. As Pippa offers her hand to help us up, we pull her down into the snow with us. "Now we''re a trio of snowy stag beetles!" I say, as we all roll around laughing. Once we finally manage to get up, we start building our first snowman. I''m so excited! This is how I''ve always dreamed of spending the Christmas holidays.

So you can understand how disappointed I am when someone interrupts us. And this time, it isn''t my mom. "We need to get to school!" Sasha calls out to us. He''s with my cousin Lucas, who''s staying in Unicornia over Christmas. "What are you talking about?! There''s no school today! It''s the holidays, remember?" I reply. "I know," Sasha says. "But the teachers have called everyone for an emergency meeting. Didn''t you get the message?" This is odder than my socks! We''ve never had to go to school during the holidays before.

Pippa, Sara, and I are super curious to know what''s going on, so there''s only one thing to do: We follow Sasha and Lucas. When we get to school, most of our classmates are arriving too. Something HUGE must have happened. But what?.